Page 28 of Rejected By the Alpha

“About… us,” she said with a shrug.

I turned her to face me, rubbing her arms encouragingly so she would continue sharing.

“You never came back for me,” she said, her voice choking up.

The accusation stung all the more because it was true.

“I’m so sorry,” I said quietly. “I messed up. After I left, I thought you’d never want to see me again, that you’d hate me forthe rest of your life. I thought I didn’t deserve you and that there was nothing I could do to make it better. I just tried to forget. Unsuccessfully.”

“You said you still care about me, but that doesn’t match up with how you acted while we were apart,” she said.

“I tried to fill my emptiness with things that didn’t work,” I admitted. “I drank too much, and fooled around with people I shouldn’t have. But I never had feelings for any of them. I hated what I had become, and I did whatever I could to forget.” I sighed. “I was stupid, but I’ve changed. I hope you can see that I’m not that man anymore.”

“I think I believe you,” she said. “And I need to admit something as well.”

My heart sank, thinking that she was going to tell me she had been in love with someone else after I left her in Sparkle Hollow. Whatever it was, I needed to hear her out. I nodded, letting her know I was ready to listen.

“I lied to you, that night we kissed. I’ve never dated anyone or done any of the things I said I did. It was stupid, but I thought if you knew how inexperienced I was, you’d think I was pathetic.” She grimaced.

I placed my hand on her cheek, tilting her face up until she was looking into my eyes. “I could never think that about you,” I said quietly.

“I’ve only ever wanted you,” she whispered.

Hearing her say those words out loud broke my self-control. I had sworn to myself that I wouldn’t push Leah’s boundaries any more than I already had, but it was time for me to admit how hopelessly I wanted her to be with me.

“Leah, I want all of you,” I said. “What happened between us the other night was just a taste of how great it can be between us. I don’t want to pressure you, but I have to ask—are you ready for more?”

Leah smiled at my fumbling request and shocked me with her answer.

“Yes.”

It was the only word I needed to hear.

Chapter 14 - Leah

Hearing that Killian still wanted to be with me after all this time was hard to accept, but if I wanted us to have any chance of working out, I needed to start to trust that he was telling the truth. If I wanted to believe him and build a true life together, we had to keep moving forward.

I couldn’t deny that I had enjoyed exploring a physical relationship with my mate so far. I may have had no idea what I was doing, but it felt like my ability to get lost in my own head was playing out in my favor. I had heard many women say they weren’t able to orgasm with a partner because they couldn’t focus on their pleasure, but I seemed to be having the opposite experience. When he touched me, it was all I could think about.

So when Killian asked if I was ready to do more with him, my answer was obvious.

“Yes?” he asked, making sure he heard me correctly.

I nodded, moving closer and wrapping my arms around his waist. I didn’t want there to be any doubt in his mind that I was consenting. No reason for him to back away from me.

“Tell me what you want me to do,” I murmured, looking up at him through my eyelashes in what I hoped was a seductive glance.

He inhaled deeply and stared at my lips for a moment before coming in for a kiss.

Our kisses before had been rough, hot, and passionate. This was different. He was tender and careful, holding me gently while his lips parted mine sensuously. His hands didn’t roam over me as they had done before. He held me confidently andpatiently, knowing that he didn’t need to rush because we were going to do more than kiss very soon.

For the first time, I realized how drastic our height difference was. I had always been rather small, but for the most part, my height hadn’t played any role in my life. Now that he was kissing me, I became aware that he was bending down to reach me while I was on my toes trying to reach him.

Killian seemed to realize the problem at the same time as I did. He bent down even further, wrapping one powerful arm underneath my ass. Grasping my thigh with his free hand, he pulled me up onto his waist and set me on a tabletop.

“That’s better,” he said, running a hand through my hair. “There’s only one thing wrong with this picture.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

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